India, Aug. 3 -- Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as Education Minister. On the surface, it was student protests and national outrage over the brutality unleashed on young protestors in Delhi that forced his hand. The protestors deserve credit for their persistence over the last couple of months, culminating in the state violence of July 20, which shocked large sections of the national conscience.

Analysts, on the other hand, argue that the regime acted against the former Education Minister because of the political implications of student power and its precipitating effect on the electorate over Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) electoral fortunes - implications that extend to Prime Minister Modi and the Hindu nationalist project he runs in par...